Container opener



-Oct. 17, 1939. HQPPENSTAND I 2,176,714

CONTAINER OPENER Filed Dec. 17, 1936 2 Sheets-Sheet l .12 I I ll J4 22 23 20 29 3 \-\\\\\\\\\HH\\\\\\\ 7 II/I/I/Il/IIIII 25 I I as INVE NTOR David Hoppemtami 17, 9' I D. HOPPENSTAND ,714

CONTAINER OPENER Filed Dec. 17, 1936 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Efiifiiiii illllmnimuunnuuum 1| INVENTOR Dal 13d Hqpjaenstand ,2 4.

mgwmxw Patented Get. 17, 1939 PATENr OFFICE commi ornsrn David noppenstandciensmw, Pa, assignor to Hopkan Rivet Company; Inc., Pittsburgh, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Application December 17, 1936, Serial No. 116,369

3 Claims.

invention 'relates'to an opener for containers such as cans, jarsand bottles.-

The object of -th e.inve ntion is to improve on devices of this character as known heretofore, A: and to provide an improved opener-of simple construction which can be manufactured and sold at a relatively low cost and which is easy to manipulate and highly effective in performing its intended function. 10 .In accordance with the invention, I provide a container opener device comprising a guide or supporting member having gripping jaws re ciprocably mounted thereon. A shaft extending vertically of the guide or-support member 15 carries a cutter bar at its lower end having a cutter thereon which, when rotated. is efiec-- tive to cut out the topof a can. A handle on 7 the shaft facilitates rotation of the cutter.,

Other uses and advantages of the device will 20 become apparent from the following detailed description.

A present preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying draw- Fig. 2 is a. bottom plan viewjand line 1-1 of Fig. 2 indicates the plane on which the section ofFig.1 ist,

Fig. 3 is a side elevation illustrating the use 35 of the invention in removing screw top lids from jars;

Fig. i is a partial sectional view along the line IV-IV of Fig. 2; and I 1 Figs. {5, 6 and 7 are perspective .views of de- 40 tails.

A supporting member or guide it (see Fig. slidably receives the shanks ii and ii of gripping jaws i3 and N having depending skirts 85 provided with inturned serrated edges l6 adapt- 45 ed to engage the side wall of a can IT, as shown in Fig. 1, or of a screw-top lid it on ajar is, as shown in Fig. 3. The Jewel; and also have upwardly and outwardly extending hoods 20 for a purpose which will appear later.

so The inner end of the shank'lz has a down- 7 turned lug ii. The support or guide It also has a down-turned lug indicated at 22. A screw shaft 23 is swiveled in the lug 22 and has right and left-hand threaded portions engaging re- 55 spectively the lug 2i and the depending skirt of the jaw it. A handle 24 is provided on the shaft 23 whereby the latter may be manually rotated to close or open the jaws l3 and M.

A vertical shaft 25 is journaled in the support or guide It, the shanks H and i2 being 5 bifurcated to admit the reduced lower end of the shaft. At its'upper end the shaft is provided with ahandle, 26 secured thereto by a pin 21. The lower end of the shaft is squared and thereby adapted to fit into a square hole 28 in a hollow cutter bar 2i (see Fig. 7). A spacer sleeve 30 is disposed on the shaft 25 between the cutter bar and the guide.

A cutter 35 (see Fig. 6) has a shank 32 and a downturned cutting edge 33. The shank of the cutter'is slidably received in the bar 29, as best shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 4. A compressionspring 36 normally urges the cutter to its outermost position relative to the bar.

The handle Ztand the shaft 25 are bored to receive a center punch 35 extending downwardly through the bar 29, the shank 32 being slotted at 36 to admit the lower end of the punch. The punch may be'retracted in the shaft to the extent permitted by the pin 31. 25

A lug 38 is pressed inwardly from the skirt of the jaw is to provide an abutment for the cutterii. The blade 33 thereof is notched at 39 to receive the lug 3d. The lug thereby prevents upward yielding of the cutter when the blade is pressed downwardly through the top of acan.

The manner in whichthe device described is manipulated to open a can will probably be apparent, but a brief description will now be given. The jaws i3 and it are first retracted by turning the handle 2 on the screw shaft 23. The punch 35 is retracted and the cutter 3i positioned by turning the handle 26 and pressing the cutter inwardly of the bar 29 against 40 the pressure on the spring 3% until the notch 39 on the blade 33 engages the lug as. The device is then placed over a can in about the manner given in .Fig. l, and the jaws closed to approximately the final gripping position. 5 The whole structure is then pressed down so that the blade 33 cuts through the can top. The punch 35 may then be advanced by thumb pressure on its head; whereby its point also penetrates the can top. The Jews are then m tightened up by manipulation of the handle 24. Manual rotation of the shaft 26 causes the cutter bar and the cutter itself to swing around the can top and cut it out cleanly. The punch 35 provides a center about which the cutter g and bar rotate. When the cutter has traversed nearly the entire periphery of the can top, it strikes the lug 38. The laws i3, 84 may then be retracted by operating the handle 24 and the device removed from the can. Since the cutter did not make a complete revolution, the severed top will he supportedhy the uncut portion of the top, instead of falling down in the can. The edge of the top opposite the uncut portion may then be easily raised by a lifting point 40 struck up from the jaw 56.

In addition to opening cans, such as shown in Fig. 1, the device is also useful for unscrewing lids from jars. As shown in Fig. 3, this may be accomplished by shifting the cutter bar out of its normal position and gripping the lid adiacent its top with the jaws i3, 54. Great leverage can beapplied to the lid through the handle 24 and, since the jaws engage the lid near its top,

they do not cause the side wall of the lid to grip the mouth of the ,iar tightly, as is the case of most lid-removing devices. The punch 35, of course, is retracted, as shown in Fig. 3, when removing screw-top lids.

The invention is. characterized by numerous advantages over known devices. Its simplicity of construction and easeof manipulation have been mentioned. Further advantages include the fact that the hoods on the laws prevent the user from being burned byescsping steam when opening a can, the contents of which have been heated. The device is also useful for lifting hot cans out of a pan of hot water, for example, without danger of painful burns. The cutter, being slidably mounted in the bar, adapts itself to various sizes of cans. It effects a clean, quick cut with the exertion of comparatively little eflort. By using a screw shaft having right and left-hand threads, the action of the laws is very quick. The lug 38 prevents the cutter from being forced upwardly when the device is pressed down on top of a can. Alugll struckupfromtheshank I! ofthe jaw i4 serves as means for removing bottle crowns.

Although I have illustrated and described herein but one preferred form of the invention, it will be understood that changes in the construction illustrated may be made within the scope of the-appended claims.

I claim:

1. A can opener comprising a guide, a pair ofin overlapping relation, extending through said guide and adapted to have sliding movement therein, a screw shaft for actuating both said Jaws simultaneously, a vertical shaft journaled in the guide, a cutter bar at the lower end of said shaft, a cutter slidably mounted on said bar for movement longitudinally thereof, means normally urging said cutter toward its outermost position relative to said bar, and a seat on one of said jaws adapted to be engaged by said cutter.

3. A can opener comprising a guide, a pair of opposed gripping Jaws having shanks disposed in overlapping relation, extending through said guide and adapted to have sliding movement therein, 'a screw shaft for actuating both said jaws simultaneously, a vertical shaft ,iournaled in the-guide, a cutter bar at the lower end of said shaft, and a center punch slidable through said vertical shaft and cutter bar.

DAVID HOPPENSTAND. 

